"HOOD-" Nightwing's voice called through the smoke.
"I'M FINE-Fuck." Red Hood yelled back as he peeled himself off the hood of a car he was smashed into. "Just keep Croc busy!"
"Better said than done-Woah." Nightwing had to flip over Killer-Croc as the man ran towards him. He used his escrima stick to muzzle Croc, giving the man a good shock.
"I don't get it. Waylon was doing so good." Red Robin spoke on the communication line. "Didn't he get a job as a bouncer?"
"Yeah, he did. I even talked to him about a week ago, he seemed happy." Red Hood didn't understand why Killer-Croc was so angry. He just had visited him before the Gala to give him the new book from his favorite author. It was even signed. Funny enough, reading to Danny reminded him about it.
Waylon even talked about how he knew this job didn't do him any favors, but it was a job that his appearance helped him out in. Anything to give him a break out of the sewers. The nightclub that hired him wasn't even close to Downtown Gotham, so it wasn't the job that had set him off.
"Doesn't look like he has any injuries, not like anything can prick his hide-" Nightwing bounced off Croc's head and flipped back onto the streets. Killer-Croc swiftly turned, ready to run at him again. "Not foaming at the mouth either."
"Still try not to get bit, will you?" Red Robin spoke. He was still on the other side of the city, having stopped a drug bust.
"How's your end?" Nightwing asked as he dodged Killer-Croc by rolling out of the way.
"Good news, we stopped the drug trade." Red Robin stated, "Bad news... they were robbed dry before we even came."
Red Hood rolled his shoulders, ready to get back into the fray. "Great. So missing experimental narcotics that could be anywhere."
"I bet Penguin had someone steal them." Red Robin spoke. Sounds of shuffling came through the comms.
"Could be Crane. I hadn't seen him in a while since the break out at Arkham." Nightwing offered as he did another tuck and roll out of Croc's way. Killer-Croc normally would have caught on by now and switched up his tactics. "Do you think he's being mind controlled?"
"Crane? I mean its a-"
"He's talking about Croc, Copyright." Red Hood snorted as he tossed a flash grenade at Killer-Croc. He whipped out his gun and shot it in mid-air, blinding the rogue.
"Oh, right. Heh. I knew that."
"Whatever you say bird-brain." Hood snorted as he pointed a hook shot at Croc's feet while Nightwing used his hook shot on a nearby ledge to gain some height. The hook wrapped around Croc's ankles. Red hood gave a hard yank, making Croc crash to the ground. Killer-Croc roared in fury as he thrashed on the ground.
"You're probably on to something, Big-bird. Waylon would have at least threatened to eat us by now."
"Exactly," Nightwing turned on his scanner to reveal any possible devices. "But I don't see anything on him."
"How about inside? I mean, Croc has such thick skin it would make more sense if-" Red Robin paused as realization sunk in.
"The narcotics." All of them spoke.
Killer-Croc rolled onto his feet, hunkered to the ground as he sniffed. His vision was still blackened by the flash grenade. The crocodile skin man then ran while hunkered to the floor straight for Red Hood, his mouth open and his teeth bare. Hood drop-kicked Croc in the face, snapping Croc's jaw closed as his chin hit the pavement.
"But Croc doesn't have a grade A in stealth." Nightwing pointed out as he used his hook shot to pull Hood up to the vantage point with him. "We would have known if he stole the narcotics."
"Either he has a supplier or someone's been flushing them down the toilet." Red Hood grunted as he righted himself up on the ledge, squeezing next to Nightwing. Nightwing reached his arm over the big man and patted his shoulder, making Red Hood frown under his helmet.
"You might be on to something. Oracle can you-" Red Robin began to ask before being cut off.
"On it. I'm looking at the last recorded data for the sewage system. All I see are massive flooding and blockage from the New Gotham area," Oracle explained.
Killer-Croc shook his head as his vision returned. He sniffed the air before locking his eyes up at Red Hood and Nightwing. He tried to jump up at the vigilantes, snapping his jaws at them.
"So, someone has been messing around in the sewers. Normally that would be enough for Waylon to rampage." Red Hood mentioned as he lifted his foot out of the way from being bitten by Killer-Croc.
"It's almost like playing with a cat." Nightwing chuckled a little amused.
"Except we're the mice-" Red Hood snorted, before almost falling off as Croc started ramming into the side of the wall to get them to fall. Nightwing held on tight to Hood's jacket to keep him on. Suddenly an explosion was heard through the communication line making the two flinch.
"RR, are you alright?" Oracle asked through the comms.
"Yeah... Fine. Ugh, I think. I might.- have found out.- who took the narcotics." Red Robin grunted and coughed over the comms, "And I'm going to take a wild guess that he's the one messing about in the sewers."
"What you got?" Nightwing asked as he let go of Red Hood, letting Jason vault off of the ledge to dive on to Killer-Croc's back.
A holographic display popped up in front of Nightwing's eye. It was the Joker's signature grin inside a suitcase with everything covered in black and green from the bomb detonating. "Oh, that's not good."
"Of course it's that damn clown." Red Hood snorted after flipping off of Croc's back, leaving tiny mines onto his back. He reached for his gun and dodged rolled to avoid a leap attack from Croc. Once out of the way he shot at the tiny mines on his back causing them to explode on impact and ice to form-sending Croc to howl in pain.
Nightwing leapt from the ledge with a spin, landing on Killer-Croc's head, smashing it into the pavement. He flipped off of his head, landing next to Red Hood.
"Looks like we need to wrap this up-Wahh!" Nightwing ready his hook-shot, planning on tangling up Killer-Croc- Until the ground started to shake and crack under their feet. Explosions rumbling in the distance.
"Guys, you need to get out of there!" Oracle alerted, "Joker has set up a domino effect of explosives in the sewer system. It's heading your way now."
Killer-Croc recovered, leaping from his spot to pounce on the stumbling vigilantes.
"Well, shit." Red Hood cursed as he and Nightwing both dived out of the way.
Pieces of the road flew as Croc landed, flying into the shaking buildings and parked cars. He roared in anger. They could hear the explosions coming closer. Red Hood gritted his teeth as he flicked his eyes from Waylon, to the clouds of smoke thickening in the distance, to the destroyed cars to-his motorcycle.
"Cover me!" Red Hood ran to his motorcycle.
"We don't have much time-" Nightwing ran towards Croc, who was picking up a giant chunk of asphalt.
"I KNOW-Just trust me." Red Hood ducked, missing a piece of the road that Croc threw at him.
Nightwing climbed up on top of Croc, and bounced off his head to gain his attention. Then he kept close, using Croc's limbs to dodge and weave through the big guy's attacks.
Red Hood hopped onto his motorcycle, kicking it off its stand. He revved the engine, then drove straight for them. "Grapple me!"
"Annnd that's going to be clipped out of context." Nightwing chuckled, swinging his legs around Croc's arm as it crashed into the ground. He used the momentum to spin himself up and around Croc's shoulders- straddling his thighs around his neck. Then, he fired his hook-shot.
Hood swerved around Croc- just in time for the hook-shot to lodge itself onto his saddle bags. He locked the hook in place and started to drive around Killer-Croc in a circle. Croc thrashed, trying to reach for Nightwing.
Nightwing used Croc's motion to roll off his neck. He purposely dodged around Croc's limbs to trap them in the winding cable. Croc growled before tackling the vigilante with the weight of his body, snapping his jaws at him. Nightwing hit the ground, rolling out of the way of the snapping.
Red Hood turned to drive in the opposite direction, but his motorcycle barely kept the rogue in place. Red Hood slammed his hand on the bike. "Damn! C'mon, I know you have more juice than this."
Nightwing struggled avoiding being bit, each time the jaws snap far too close for his comfort.
"Ugh, Ever heard of a breath mint?" Quickly, he squirmed to grab a cryogenic dart from his arsenal. Just as Croc snapped at his face again- he shoved both his hook-shot and the dart into Croc's mouth, freezing the gun in place.
Croc stumbled backwards, allowing Red Hood to drag him off his feet. Now unable to fight back, Red Hood circled around-reaching his hand out to his brother. Nightwing grabbed it and swung himself onto the back of the motorcycle.
"Whew! That was close. I almost bit the dust there." Nightwing grinned.
"Don't make me push you off." Red Hood grunted as he swerved to avoid a crumbling building.
The domino effect had reached them. The road was crumbling as he drove as fast as he could through the streets. Buildings were crashing down as the ground started to explode behind them. Asphalt was flying and taking out cars, windows, and lines with it.
"If you can-bridges-Bowery, you'd be safe. I'll try-a clear path for you." Oracle's voice broke through the static of the comms. Something was jamming with the signal.
"Got it," Red Hood replied, unsure if Oracle could hear him back. The road exploded next to them, causing Red Hood to swerve to dodge the falling debris.
Nightwing tapped his shoulder and pointed to blockage to their left. A collapsed truck in a multiple car collision had a trailer bed tilted up. Red Hood sharply turned, jumping a small gap that formed in the pavement. He pushed the motorcycle as fast as he could, hitting the trailer like a ramp.
A large explosion set off under them.
Jazz held her breath as she watched-where the vigilantes were-was engulfed by plumes of smoke and debris. Her hair flying every direction as the van she was in drove off into the distance. She screamed, stumbling forward-as the van hit a deep crack in the road. Her hands bound behind her, keeping her from catching herself.
"Oops. Looks like we're in for a bumpy ride! All hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times," Joker grabbed her arm, preventing her from falling out of the open back of the van. He pulled her back close to him, keeping an arm around her.
"Wouldn't want our fair maiden of the hour going Ka-SPLAT on the highway! After all, we still have three more acts left of the show." He pressed his cheek against hers, grinning madly. "And I'm quite curious how the finale will turn out."
Jazz gritted her teeth, grimacing at the closeness of this creep. She wished now more than ever that she had the Fenton Anti-creep stick on her. Her eyes watering from the smoke, as she desperately glanced around to find an opening.
"Oh, chin up, princess! There's more knights in Gotham than fish in the ocean. I'm sure at least ONE of them will make it to the after party." Joker mistaken her teary face for fear. He tapped his gun under her chin to make her look up at him.
"If not, we'll have a BLAST anyways!" Joker laughed as he waved his gun into the air-firing into the ceiling of the van. His arm around her shoulders loosening.
Bingo.
Jazz elbowed him harshly in the gut, catching Joker off guard. She swiftly ducked out of his arm and swept her leg under him, causing Joker to fall backwards into the van. Quickly she moved to the open door of the van, tucking her body to roll out.
-When the van hit cracked pavement hard, causing one of the doors to slam shut in Jazz's face. She knocked back to the floor, a cut appearing across her forehead. Pain waved through her head while she rolled onto her knees. Small stream of blood ran over her eye, reducing her vision. Panting, she pushed to launch herself towards the door again.
She felt a harsh yank on her hair, then her face slammed into the floor. She envied Danny's ghost powers so much right now.
"Tut tut tut. Damsel trying to be her own knight?" Jazz's face was slammed into the metal van's floor again. Joker leaned into her ear, "Hate to break it to ya, toots, but I'm not a fan of modern fairy-tales and YOU don't have a stand-in."
Joker stood back up with a shove of her head. She breathed heavily, fighting her darkening vision. Jazz focusing on any movement or sound to keep herself awake as her head throbbed. She felt Joker step away from her.
"So as they say, keep to the script-" Joker dangerously cackled. She heard the sound of metal being dragged off of the van floor. Her eyes widened, chills crawling up her spine.
"And BREAK a LEG!" Joker burst out laughing, swinging down on her leg.
Her vision went black.
The roads had collapsed, flames were dancing wildly within the large cracks. Smoke heavily filled the air along with the rotting stench emitting from the remains of the sewer. Cars and buses were found burnt to a crisp and toppled over. Even some had flown from the blasts into the buildings. Most of the buildings and structures themselves have crumpled or are burning.
Red Hood pointed his hook-shot towards one of the buildings that escaped the blasts mostly unscathed. He locked it into place around a post, creating a zip-line from the rooftop to the ground floor of the other building.
"Alright, woman and children first," Red Hood ushered to the timid crowd that shuffled into place.
Many of the crowd looked worn and exhausted. They had barely escaped the bombing, however the rooftop they all took, was about to crumble. A mother and her two young children were the first to step up. Red Hood strapped them together.
"Hold on tight, and this baby should get you down safely. Just press this button to drop down." He gestured to the middle button.
"Thank you. I don't know what would have happened-"
"You can thank me when I unclog the streets of jerks like this one." Red Hood held up his hand, then stepped back, signaling another civilian to step up.
"Then you'd be waiting a long time, this is Gotham we're talking about." The mother smiled sadly, before zipping down the line.
Jason clicked his tongue under his mask. That stung. He would love more than anything to go back to killing every irredeemable bastard this city held. Damn Bruce. Dick. Even Cass. Well he couldn't cuss her, but he wanted too. She made it damn clear without any words what she would do if he fell back into his old ways.
His blood boiled and his skin burned, yet he had to keep his composure. It was difficult and knowing it was the damn clown that caused it only made it worse. Still, he managed. He put his mind elsewhere when a task didn't need his full attention.
First thing he imagined was the cool night air, overlooking the city. Eating a sandwich and putting his leftover crust in his favorite gargoyle's mouth for the starving pigeons. Then the image changed to the warmth of the library loft, where the stain glass shined on it. Him reading a book aloud with a tiny companion wiggling into his side. The buzzing hum in his chest. The faint sounds of a woman downstairs.
"Hey-"
Red Hood spun around, slapping the hand off his shoulder. Nightwing held his hands up while stepping back, raising his brow.
"Didn't mean to scare you, Little Wing."
"I didn't get scared." He shrugged, turning to face away from Dick. He didn't want to admit he got lost in his thoughts. He unlocked the zip line, letting it reel back now that the civilians were back on the ground.
"Riiiiight."
"Thought you were helping clear out the hospital?" Red Hood asked, standing back up.
"I was, but Spoiler and Orphan said they could finish up." Nightwing put his hands on his hips as he spoke.
"Basically told you to piss off and go rest, huh?"
"Yep! So I figured I'd find you-"
"And ignore everything they said?"
Nightwing grinned at him.
Jason shook his head, clipping the hook-shot back onto his belt. He rolled his shoulder, stretching it out. Croc had done a number. It took him, Dick, and several cops to contain him when they reached the blockade. He felt bad for Waylon. He doubted the narcotics were taken willingly, or at least with full awareness of what they could do. Well, now they'll know how to tell if the drug is in someone's system.
"What makes you think I won't go home and go to bed, Huh?" He turned back to Nightwing with his arms crossed, as if he could ever sleep after this mess.
Nightwing clapped his hands to his cheeks in fake surprise. "GASP! THE Red Hood ISN'T going to go clown hunting all by himself?"
"Shut up," He growled, slightly pushing Dick away. "I'm fine."
"I didn't mean it like that-"
"Shut UP! Let's just go before he has time to do anything else." Red Hood vaulted over the roof's wall then slid down the broken fire escape, rolling onto the ground. He left his bike parked in front of the building.
"I'm surprised how many people made it out." Dick's voice hummed behind him, changing the subject.
"I think Waylon's little song and dance scared most of them out of the way."
"That wouldn't explain Otisburg. Everything from the old theater on Berger Avenue to Prince Street was severely damaged." Nightwing explained, "Yet, the high rise buildings were full of people on the roof top. Red Robin and the firefighters are using the construction cranes to get them down."
"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."
"I didn't know you were into horses."
"I prefer hogs, actually," Red Hood huffed as he reached his motorcycle, checking his saddle bags.
Nightwing snorted back a laugh-but stopped abruptly when static stirred over their comms.
"...Can... me?"
"Oracle?" Nightwing asked, leaning on the back of Hood's motorcycle. Jason swung his leg over to mount the bike.
"Nightwing. Can you hear me?"
"Yes! What happened?"
"I can too." Red Hood snorted as he kicked the kickstand up. Nightwing stumbled from the change of weight.
"Listen, we don't have much time. Joker-" Static filled the comms again as a loud voice broadcasted on every radio.
"Helllllooooo~ Gotham! How was the fireworks? You can thank my pyrotechnician for that spectacular display! A. K. A. Me!" Joker's laughing face was displayed on top of several buildings by hidden projectors.
"Oh, but that's not all that I have for you. The show is just getting started. I hope you bought your tickets and grabbed some popcorn because we got a real classic for ya, tonight!" Joker shuffle-danced, then stepped to the side with a slide revealing a woman tied to a chair with a bag over her head. Red hair strands poking from underneath the bag.
Hood felt a drop to his stomach. It couldn't be...
"Our dear princess is awaiting her knight in rusty armor to come and rescue her. However, her knights only have until midnight to find her." The Joker laughed as the camera zoomed out to show the room.
"Or else there might not be anything left." Joker dangerously hummed into the mic, before ripping the bag off her head. Jasmine was barely conscious as her face scrunched in pain from the bright lights.
"You have an hour and thirty minutes," Joker grabbed her chin, squishing her cheeks as he made her look directly at the camera. A timer starting on the screen. "Before these sweet lips get blown to smithereens. Good luck~"
Joker's laugh maniacally, before the screen cut to black-leaving only the timer on display.
But all Jason could see, was green.